Three generations serve at HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital

SHELBYVILLE – HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital has stood for a century of service and for some, it is a familial thing to serve at the hospital. Currently, three generations of one family serve under the roof of HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital. For them, it is inspired by one common interest – they love people.

Beulah Edwards works in the dietary department for HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital (GSS). She came to the hospital in 1993 as a C.N.A. looking for a job. She wanted to eventually be a nurse. She was told that while they didn’t need anyone for their nursing staff there was an opportunity in the dietary department.

She began her career in the basement of the hospital where the cafeteria was located at that time. Beulah said, “Within a few days, I didn’t want to leave the dietary department. I love people and I love seeing, visiting with and serving our customers. I got my sanitation license and have been working for this hospital ever since. I love my job.”

Shayna Jo King is Beulah’s granddaughter. She works for the HSHS Medical Group as a certified medical assistant for Shelle Sloan, PA-C.

When Shayna was 8 years old, Beulah was diagnosed with a terminal illness, stage-four colon cancer. After surgery, her recuperation required visits from Sloan for wound care. Sloan would change her dressing and Shayna would sit beside her grandmother throughout the provider’s visit. “She would absorb every detail as Shelle worked on my wounds. She was fascinated,” Beulah said. “I think Shayna’s journey to help others started because she observed my care when I was so ill. My caretakers, nurses and doctors were always so kind to me. It inspired her.”

“In fact, Shayna gave a presentation to the Midwest Technical Institute about how my cancer treatment and how that care extended my life. She spoke of how that experience impassioned her to make her career in the medical field. She gave such a vivid, passionate testimony that it earned her a scholarship for her degree,” Beulah said.

Beulah’s daughter, Amy Jo King, recently came to serve as a registrar for GSS in the patient access department. Her philosophy echoes her mother’s. She loves people and wants to help others. “I have worked in customer service all of my life,” said Amy. “At one point, I worked as a phlebotomist for HSHS St. Anthony’s Hospital in Effingham. When I saw that our local hospital was joining the Hospital Sisters Health System, I was so excited because I knew that meant growth here. A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to work for the hospital, and it was like coming home. My family has always used this hospital, and I have always felt that being here was an extension of home. Plus, now my two favorite people work here. I love my job.

“Shayna, my daughter, has always been around hospitals. She was born six weeks prematurely and between that and seeing her grandmother go through treatments for cancer, I don’t think there was ever a doubt she would serve in the medical field,” Amy said.

Shayna says she knew from a very young age that she would be in medicine. “I remember sitting on my grandmother’s lap as she underwent chemo. All those years ago, her diagnosis was terminal but she never accepted it. It’s been 13 years since then and attitude is everything. She did what the doctors and nurses told her to do, and by God’s grace she is still living a wonderful life today,” Shayna said. “She and my mom have been driving forces in my life. My passion in medicine is to serve seniors and children. Both are so interesting to me.

“It’s a bit ironic that I serve with Shelle now,” Shayna said. “She was the first person outside of my family to babysit me. She took such wonderful care of my grandmother that I became fond of her as a child. I have known her my whole life.”

Shayna believes that she will continue her education in the medical field so that she can eventually do more for patients. All three ladies remarked that they are proud to serve at a hospital which has a reputation of providing a century of quality health care to its community.

Beulah said, “As I age, I see how fragile life is and how much it means to help someone else. If I can give back a little every day, maybe I can repay some of the debt of kindness that I received while I was so ill. I can’t imagine spending my days without being here.”

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About HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital
Since its inception in 1916, HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital in Shelbyville (GSS) has been dedicated to excellence in healthcare for those living and visiting their communities. GSS has accomplished this by providing comprehensive health services and meeting the needs of patients served through their compassionate care, business integrity and community responsibility. GSS provides a 24/7 emergency department that is fully staffed by physicians and highly-trained nurses, and also features inpatient and outpatient services, including a 24-hour laboratory and an imaging department that meets today’s highest standards for diagnostic imaging technology. GSS has an advanced surgery department and an acute inpatient care unit. Dedicated to being a hometown hospital, GSS’ home health and rehabilitation departments are committed to excellence with a team of professional nurses and therapists providing a variety of medical services and rehabilitative therapies, all designed to help patients heal in their own environment. The group of visiting specialists in the outpatient clinic works closely with GSS to help keep the healthcare services local even if a specialized procedure or exam is required. GSS strives to be the first choice for the community’s healthcare needs. For more information about HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital, visit www.hshsgoodshepherd.org.

About HSHS Medical Group
HSHS Medical Group is the physician organization of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). Launched in 2009, HSHS Medical Group is a critical component of the HSHS Care Integration strategy, which focuses on bringing physicians, technology and patients together to improve the overall health of our communities. Today, HSHS Medical Group is comprised of over 1,500 colleagues in 95 locations throughout central and southern Illinois. HSHS Medical Group is powered by the Franciscan history of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, and our faith-based identity led us to the single most important tenet of the HSHS Medical Group philosophy — Patient-First Care. For more information about HSHS Medical Group, visit www.hshsmedicalgroup.org.

About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high-quality Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 local systems and physician practices in Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.